Arto

Arto is a simply mesmerising game to look at, but the combat and narrative lack the excitement to make it an easy game to recommend. It’s not that anything is bad at all, but rather that it’s all a bit… well… boring. Some of the technical issues didn’t help either, with it clear the game could have done with a little bit more work to fix some of its more obvious problems. I don’t want to slate the game too much because, as I said, it’s clear it has a lot of heart, and I really loved seeing its explosions of colour as I uncovered the world. It’s just a shame that I didn’t enjoy playing it all that much. With a few updates and patches, it could definitely be a better experience, but as it stands? There are too many better games out there that deserve your attention more.

66%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

optimization, story

74% User Score Based on 84 reviews

Critic Score 49%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

Arto is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by OrionGames and was released on May 1, 2023. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Arto is a single-player Fantasy Role Playing Game with impressive graphics. As an Apostle to a dying god, your mission is to return color to a hostile world and uncover the mystery behind its color loss. Utilize the Paint Arrow, your returned-color boon, and customize your gameplay with over 80 spell combinations."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 84 reviews

graphics18 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

Beautiful visuals and vibrant art style that enhance the gameplay experience.
Engaging combat mechanics and a unique concept that keeps players hooked.
Fun gameplay with an intriguing story and rich worldbuilding.

Severe optimization issues, including low frame rates and game-breaking bugs.
Lack of developer support for fixing reported bugs and technical problems.
Movement controls are unchangeable, making it difficult for some players to enjoy the game.

graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
21%
4%
The game features beautiful and vibrant visuals, with a unique art style that many players appreciate. While the graphics and animations are generally praised for their fluidity and aesthetic appeal, some users have reported significant lag during exploration, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and engaging combat mechanics makes it a recommended title for fans of aesthetically pleasing indie games.
- “Beautiful visuals!”
- “Bright, vibrant, and easy to pick up indie gem with responsive combat and gorgeous visuals.”
- “Really enjoying watching the art styles unfold over the game, the visual flourishes and unique themes work really well together.”
- “Really like the concept and art style, but right now I don't want to play further because during exploration, the game is severely lagging.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The gameplay is praised for its fun and engaging mechanics, featuring a unique blend of hack and slash combat and customizable paint-magic elements. Players appreciate the intriguing story and rich worldbuilding, noting that the game is easy to pick up yet offers surprising depth. Overall, the combination of solid mechanics and appealing artwork contributes to an enjoyable experience.
- “The game has fun gameplay with an intriguing story and rich worldbuilding for the time that I spent playing.”
- “Easy to pick up and surprisingly deep game mechanically.”
- “I was almost halfway through before I realized how unique and customizable the paint-magic mechanics are!”
- “It's a totally fresh take on world building, riding on top of very solid and familiar hack and slash combat mechanics.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant frame drops and stuttering, particularly in the mid to late game. While some users noted improvements following recent patches, others still find the game unplayable without further optimization. Overall, it is seen as a hidden gem that could shine if the optimization issues are addressed.
- “The game is fun, but it's currently unplayable mid to late game; the game drops frames really hard and stutters constantly. Unless they get it fully optimized, I'd avoid it.”
- “Unoptimized, and low quality.”
- “Only issue I really had with this hidden gem were frame drops and stuttering in the main overworld. If the devs fix that, I may have found my game of the year for 2023, and it's only July.”
- “Highly recommended despite some optimization issues.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's story is described as intriguing and set within a richly built world, appealing to those who enjoy unique and creative narratives. However, some players found the story less engaging, often skimming through the text and not paying much attention to it. Overall, while the story has its merits, it may not captivate all players equally.
- “The game has fun gameplay with an intriguing story and rich worldbuilding for the time that I spent playing.”
- “Highly recommend you give it a try if you're interested in hack'n'slash, creative/artistic design, action RPG, kind of out there/different concepts or storylines.”
- “From the storyline to the graphics to the banger music, it's all unique!”
- “- The story is whatever; I wasn't really paying much attention and ended up just skimming through the text, to be honest.”
- “- The story lacks depth and engagement, making it easy to lose interest.”
- “- The narrative feels disjointed and fails to connect with the gameplay.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The music in the game has received high praise, with many users highlighting the amazing soundtrack and its unique integration with the storyline and graphics. Overall, the original score is described as a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience, particularly during combat.
- “From the story line to the graphics to the banger music, it's all unique!”
- “The music is amazing, combat satisfying and coloring the world is definitely a unique feature.”
- “Soundtrack was really good too.”
- “The music is decent for what it is.”
- “The soundtrack is unique and adds to the overall experience.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is generally perceived as decent, though players have noted that it exhibits some minor bugs.
- “It's fairly nice... but it's slightly buggy.”
- “It's fairly nice... but it's slightly buggy.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game has low replayability, with players feeling that their time spent on it was not worthwhile.
- “This game does not have much replayability, and I consider my time wasted.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly noting that even brief pauses of a few seconds can feel frustrating and contribute to an overall sense of monotony in gameplay.
- “It feels tedious to sit through like 3 seconds (doesn't sound like much, but it is) every time of nothing.”